Numerical and Experimental Investigation of Electrical Efficiency Improvement of a Micro Combined Heat and Power (m-CHP) System by Modifying Cam Curve of OHVG Engine

Abstract

Background: The purpose of this research is to study the solutions for improving the efficiency of a micro combined heat and power (m-CHP) system based on OHVG (OverHead Valve Gas fueled) engine. Method: In this regard, the effects of valve timing and changing the camshaft on the power and fuel consumption of the engine have been numerically and experimentally investigated. The tests have been performed for engine speed range from 1000 rpm to 3500 rpm, while the engine's fuel was natural gas. The numerical results are found to be in good agreement with experimental ones. The effect of changing the valve timing and camshaft on the performance of the m-CHP has been investigated through the experiments in the test room. The engine speed was 1500 rpm; output hot water was fixed at 55oC; and output electrical power varies from 8 kW to 13 kW in the experiments. Results & Conclusion: The experimental results of the engine test indicate that, by changing the camshaft for full load operation and speed 1500 rpm, engine torque and volumetric efficiency improved by 7.2% and 6.0%, respectively, and fuel consumption decreased by 0.8%. According to the results, the best point for the performance of m-CHP is close to the full load of the electrical power because by increasing the electrical load, electrical efficiency increases from about 25.9% to 32.3%, while the thermal efficiency decreases from about 61.9% to 56.1%.